Beached
by gms14
Summary: Rose has always been afraid of water ever since the accident when she was five years old, now she's 18 and she's on vacation with her sister Skye. When she's swept away onto a Scenic boat ride, she agrees reluctantly, and with good reason too. The boat gets shipwrecked on a deserted island. Can she and the others survive the island? And can Rose find the courage to face her fear?
1. Chapter One: Beach Blues

Beached

By: Grace Steiner

Chapter One:

"I think since it's officially the first day of summer that we go out and swim at Angel's Beach, a boy at the surf store told me to meet him at Angel's Beach, he said it was the most beautiful" said Skye as she flipped her almost white hair back behind her and quickly tied it into a tight pony tail. "So this drama is all about a boy" I accused wiggling a finger at her and faking a frown "oh Skye I expected more from you young lady!" Skye narrowed her blue eyes at me and said "of course it is". I laughed, "Isn't there something we'd rather do? Go shopping at the cute boutique downtown or get ice cream?" Skye thought about it for a second but shook her head and drew back the curtains showing the sight outside our hotel window, "no look at how nice it is outside" Skye was right I had to admit the sun shone down on the city of Char west of Palm Beach, Florida. The sun covered the city that was very much awake people ran around in shorts and tees carrying shopping bags or riding scooters down the busy highways. "Look you don't have to swim Rose but at least come with me!" said Skye dropping into a quieter tone her eyes full of compassion but full of stifled excitement, feeling like a road block I thought about it and slowly nodded letting Skye let out a scream of delight. "We'll have to bring a few snacks, sun tan lotion, sunscreen…" Skye's voice faded from my head and I focused on my thoughts. I didn't like to go to the beach not because of the seagulls, the millions of people, or the sand getting in my bikini but the ocean itself. I had a bad experience with the ocean when I was five and Skye was six, it was the most beautiful day I think there'd been in days of rain the sun was bright in the sky like a light in darkness and there wasn't a lot of people it was a quiet day in my favorite part of the beach. My dad was inside the house, it was our families beach house right off the ocean front. Dad was preparing a meal for us since our aunt was coming over with our cousins later that day. Me and Skye were racing into the ocean, she went out so far and I tried to go out farther, we were out pretty far so far the shore looked like a scrap of sand, Skye stopped but I kept going she warned me about the drop off but I didn't believe her because the ocean was like a second home to me. All I remember was taunting her about how far I was out and how far she wasn't and then I was underwater, I remember feeling like my lungs were about to burst like a balloon that's popped at a birthday party and then I was sinking down below the surface watching the sun on the top of the water sparkling and then I was gone. I woke up in the hospital six days later with my dad and sister by my side saying I'd almost died and wasn't allowed to go near the ocean again, it was my dad's punishment for me but like I'd ever want to go back into the place where I'd almost died. "Hey Rose…Rose" said Skye snapping her fingers in front of my face trying to get my attention, I blinked dazed and looked up at my sister's annoyed face, "uh what?" I asked regaining my focus, "I asked if you wanted bubby water or lemonade to put in the cooler?" she asked looking expectant. "You can never go wrong with bubbling water, but lemonade is more suited for a beach visit" I advised as she packed 4 bottles of water and 4 bottles of lemonade into the cooler as if I hadn't spoken, when she caught me staring at her she shrugged "can never be too prepared, now will you help me pack the sandwiches!" I sighed and got to my feet this was going to be a long day!


	2. Chapter Two: The Plan

Chapter 2:

After 2 hours of drama over sandwiches and sunscreen, Skye finally thought she'd packed everything, "there, that wasn't so bad now is it?" asked Skye raising her eyebrow quizzically at me as I glared back at her. Skye laughed and hit me gently on the arm, "come on Rose it's time to go to the beach" she put the sandwiches and sunscreen in a woven basket plus additional supplies that could be given to an army base and they would still have extra amenities. I sighed and followed my sister out into the sunlight of the hot afternoon. Right as you step outside the smell of rusting metal, ocean air, and ice cream from little walking carts fill the air. The streets were full of pedestrians, there was girls in bikinis and boys in swim trunks trying desperately to flirt but failing, there were even fanny pack wearing tourists snapping pictures at every little thing. We crossed the street and I have to say that I almost got hit by a bunch of bicyclers who yelled at me to 'stay out of the road'. Finally when we got to the beach it was so crowded we could barely find a spot to put our stuff so we had to move down the beach, it was totally abandoned and far away from the lifeguards but at least we were on the beach. There was only a few people on the beach, a girl in a bright yellow and green flowery swimsuit who was splashing her feet into the water, there were also 2 boys that had to be either brothers or best friends because they were both the same height and looked about the same age with the same rumpled hair.

"Are you sure you don't want to go in the water?" asked Skye as she untied her white blonde hair from its braid leaving her hair wavy. "No I'll be fine, just me and my book" I said cheerfully as I patted the blue cover of my Emily Windsnap book. Skye gave me a look but I ignored it, she could have lots of fun without me. As Skye vanished into the water I closed my book feeling uninterested in the contents and looked around me. The sand was a powdery white that felt like a warm towel against my skin, the ocean was as blue as sapphires and sparkled just like jewels in the afternoon sunlight that glared down on the beach in hot rays. Trees winded their way up and down the coastline except for the areas that were inhabited by humans and their tall structures that stood out like a sore thumb in the teal sky filled with puffy white clouds. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace just sitting in the open outdoors like a used to as a girl, I thought back to the times I had the most fun just being by the beach and hearing their steady lapping beat against the shore that was smooth from waves. Suddenly something hit me in the side, I felt of pang of surprise not pain as I would have expected to feel being hit with something. I turned to see a blue and green beach ball sitting a few feet from me, it was still swaying when I picked it up and examined it with sudden fascination. "Hey can you toss the ball?" snapped an impatient voice, jolted from my sudden curiosity I turned my face up to see a dark haired boy staring at me pointedly, "sorry" I muttered my face flaming. The boy looked about 18 the same age as myself, his dark hair was more black then brown and it almost matched his dark green eyes, he wore red and black swim shorts and flimsy sandals, he looked like he was right at home unlike herself. She wore black shorts with a loose white shirt with a gray tank top underneath. My plain chestnut brown hair was nothing like his black hair that looked so…perfect. "Um…excuse me earth to girl!" he said raising an eyebrow, "can I have the beach ball?" I blush a deeper scarlet and toss him the ball. The boy started to walk away, "hey you!" I cried following the boy who turned and looked at me like I was really dumb. "Can't you at least say thank you?" I asked putting my hands on my hips. "Why?" asked the boy, "because I gave you back the ball!" I cried outraged that this boy wouldn't say thanks after he'd hit her with a beach ball! "Okay fine thanks for giving me the beach ball" he said not even a little bit thankful, he turned again and stomped off to join his friend with dark red hair the color of dying embers in a fire. "Jerk!" I mutter as I watched him and his friend toss the ball around for a while. "Don't mind Lucas he's a pain in the butt!" said a girl's voice from the side of me, it was the girl I'd seen earlier wearing the green and yellow fluorescent swimsuit, she stood with her arms crossed over her chest and she was wearing a glum expression on her face like she was witnessing something boring. "Do you know him?" I asked looking at the girl, she nodded and gazed at the rude boy who was already playing a ball game with his red haired friend, I watched the beach ball get hit up into the air and fall back down only to get hit back up. "Yeah I know him" she said it as if it were a common, accepted fact, "the red headed boy over there is my brother" she said pointing to the grinning boy who'd hit the beach ball into the surf where Lucas had to run and get it. "My brother and him are best friends" she finished watching the boys dive and lunge for the ball like they were in some strange dance. I glanced at her to see if there was any scorn or distaste when she looked at the boys but there was only sisterly affection, the kind she held reserved for her own sister. "Oh" is all I could muster, she didn't know how to make this situation less strange, the girl was just staring into space like she was watching something that I couldn't possibly see. The girl turned back to me and flashed a kind of coy smile "Ava" she said simply as she held out her hand, "Rose" I said giving her a matching smile. Believe it or not Ava was a lot like myself, she had a distaste for water but wasn't terribly afraid of it, Ava had listened to my story and had done what any best friend would have done and gasped when she mentioned almost drowning when she was five and waking up a few days later unable to stand the sight of water. "I know it was terrible but what was it like…drowning I mean?" asked Ava looking at me with inquisitive eyes. "It was like squeezing a party balloon until it popped, my lungs were about to burst" I murmured loosing myself in the story, "I remember it was like walking off the face of the earth and down into a dark trench and I was unable to pull myself free, I remember watching the sun sparkle on the top of the water and for some strange reason knew I was about to die and I was okay with it, I'd accepted it." After a moment I focused back onto the beach in front of me, Ava looked stunned and then she shuddered. "I'm so sorry Rose" she said, I turned towards her, "why?" I asked. Ava had nothing to apologize for she had been so nice, she'd done nothing wrong. Ava stared at her hands like she wasn't sure what they were. "I shouldn't have asked you, you seemed so…put off", "Ava" I said looking at the red haired girl who still looked so sad that it broke my heart to see her like this. Ava was probably the closest thing I had to a best friend, she was understanding and kind, the kind of person someone would be lucky to have by their side every minute of the day. "It wasn't your question, it's just that I've gone so long not thinking about…dying but what I said was true, dying was something I was okay with because I knew it was coming and the memory it was just a shock wave. You didn't do anything to upset me though, you asked me an honest, good question" I said giving Ava a reassuring pat on shoulder and Ava smiled sheepishly and then she stood up from where the two girls were previously sitting and talking. "Do you want to go and play ball?" she asked holding out her hand for me to take it. "With the boys?" I ask trying to look at Ava's face but seeing only shadow, the sun blotting out her face, "why not?" said Ava breathing in a deep breath, "looks like we're not the first people to come up with the idea though" said Ava staring off into the distance at her brother, (I recently found out his name was Noah) and his best friend the pain in the butt, Lucas. I looked, I had to shield my eyes from the sunlight but I saw the familiar slim shape. "No" I groaned peering closer to see the familiar white blonde hair, it was Skye who just had to be flirting with Noah, Ava looked at me curiously like I was really strange and knew it. "That's Skye she's my sister!" I exclaimed. Ava giggled but when she saw my worried expression she suppressed it without much luck. Me and Ava walked towards my sister who was standing hands on her hips looking at Noah with a look of admiration, but when she looked at Lucas it was with dislike. "Skye what are you doing?" I hissed glaring at her, she seemed not to notice she was still staring dazedly at Noah who looked at her the same way. After a minute she swung her head to face me, "Noah this is my _younger _sister, her name is Rose" she spat the words like I'd publically humiliated her and this was her way of revenge. I rolled my eyes Skye was always this way around boys, cute boys or at least boys she insisted were cute. Noah smiled at me and then turned to Lucas who was watching me with curious eyes, "isn't this the girl that you angered?" asked Noah, Lucas shrugged "yeah it wasn't that big of a deal I accidently hit her with a beach ball and bam she freaked out!" I felt a surge of anger that I knew I shouldn't have had but it crept up on me. "No you hit me with a beach ball and left, you didn't apologize or say thanks you just walked away!" I said outraged. "I did apologize after you nagged me!" said Lucas, "yeah you did but it wasn't sincere" I interjected. Ava laughed but choked it back as Lucas turned his gaze on her, Noah cleared his throat. "Well sincerely on behalf of myself and Lucas, I apologize to you Rose, sorry my friend arrogance disturbed you" apologized Noah bumping Lucas to make his point. "I understand Noah but it is only sincere coming from the person who did the wrong in the first place" I said surprised at my own wisdom. "She's got you there" said Ava standing closer to me, Lucas frowned and was about to make a snippy retort and I was ready for it but Skye just had to say something. "So what were you about to ask me before Rose came here and caused a fight with your best friend" she said and I felt a sharp prickle of irritation towards her sister, what right did Skye have to be bratty at a time like this, her sister was supposed to be defending her. Noah cleared his throat and looked to Skye who flushed a steady dark red, "I was going to ask you if you wanted to go on a Scenic Boat ride? Me and my sister were going to go with just Lucas but I was wondering if you and your sister wanted to come along with us, we'd be going to look at the dolphin and shark habitats down by the coral reefs" before I could say it would be nice to go with them Skye jumped up and down clapping her hands. She noticed that everyone was staring at her weird so she calmed down and said more shy then I'd ever heard her, "yes thank you Noah". "Well I guess I'll you see you tomorrow down by the docks" said Noah pointing to the general direction where large old wooden docks floated on the water's surface. "See you tomorrow Rose!" said Ava waving to me as she scrambled to join her brother who was leaving since the sun had sunk into the ocean causing pink and red and orange to stain the sky. "Bye Rose" said Lucas to my obvious surprise as he smiled and slinked away after his friend, I shivered whether from cold I didn't know but I kept it to myself as me and Skye headed home in silence. As we walked I thought to myself that the beach wasn't so bad it was just a place that held memories some good and bad, maybe tomorrow I would go swimming, it seemed like a dreadful idea after the last time but some things you must had to try one more time in case you actually enjoyed it again. By the time we got home it was nearly black outside and the street was quiet and lonely, cleared of people with stoplights still going off. The air was moist but weirdly warm with the tang of salty sea air. When we got home I collapsed on my bed and quickly back everything or anything I could think to bring, first aid kit, swimsuit, sunscreen, binoculars, sunglasses, snacks. For the first time since the summer officially started which had been only today but still I felt like it was going to be great!


End file.
